We are thrilled to announce Sarah Shulman as the first Director of the new Camp Ramah in Northern California (Ramah NorCal), scheduled to open within the next two years.

Sarah is a dynamic Jewish community leader with 10 years of innovative program experience, including a strong track record building Ramah in the Rockies. Sarah helped develop their program, train staff, and inspire hundreds of campers during the camp's early years, helping the camp grow from an initial enrollment of 118 campers in 2010 to over 400 campers in 2015.

In her new role, Sarah will help shape our new camp's educational and programmatic vision, build a team, and work with local rabbis and community leaders on enrollment.

Sarah is currently pursuing her degree at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, and serving as the Director of Education at Ramat Zion, a Conservative synagogue in Northridge, CA. She will be based in Los Angeles until her ordination in May 2016, but will travel frequently to the Bay Area, where she will work closely with Ramah NorCal Project Coordinator Daniele Hurwitz. Sarah will receive extensive support from National Ramah and will be part of the Foundation for Jewish Camp's "New Camp Accelerator" program, funded initially by The AVI CHAI Foundation.

Originally from Seattle, Sarah attended Stanford University, where she received a B.A. in human biology. After college, Sarah lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for six years and taught at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School and Brandeis Hillel Day School. She also has an impressive athletic background, having competed in IRONMAN competitions and other ultra-endurance events as an accomplished swimmer, runner, and cyclist. (Read more about Sarah.)

Sarah lives in Los Angeles with her husband Nate Bankirer.Nate and Sarah met at Ramah in the Rockies during the camp's inaugural summer of 2010. Rabbi Eliav Bock, Ramah in the Rockies Executive Director, performed their wedding ceremony in Aspen the following year.

Sarah's official work as Director starts on January 26, 2015. She can be reached at sarah@campramah.org.

Director, National Ramah Commission, Inc. of The Jewish Theological Seminary

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Ramah is the camping arm of Conservative Judaism. Together, our programs provide Ramah experiences for more than 10,000 children, teens, and young adults annually. The National Ramah Commission of The Jewish Theological Seminary provides oversight and educational planning on behalf of the network of Ramah camps throughout North America and Israel.